Spike-mounting stacked-bags process and apparatus

ABSTRACT

The bag-mounting process and apparatus of the invention are directed to a spearing of stacked paper bags onto a needle-like spike rammed through stacked lips thereof with the spike piercing the lips from the lips&#39;&#39; outer faces thereof near the lips&#39;&#39; upper peripheries after first compressing the stacked lips in the stacked state, employing solely a linear spike having a concentrically tapered point at its piercing end and a blunt opposite end against which a plunger is pressed to ram the spike from a spike-supporting barrel aligned perpendicularly to the point for piercing, and mounting tabs or other retaining members on the opposite ends of the spike for retaining the pierced-bags on the spike against bags&#39;&#39; tendency to slip-off during handling and shipping. Preferably the machine is pneumatically actuated and semi-automatic for at least part of the process, and is adjustable to receive bag-stacks of different widths of the bags thereof.

United States Patent [191 Daly et a1. 7

[ SPIKE-MOUNTING STACKED-BAGS PROCESS AND APPARATUS [75] Inventors: William P. Daly, White Plains, N.Y.;

Oliver L. Pouliot, Oradell, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Oneida Packaging Products, Inc.,

Clifton, NJ.

[22] Filed: Jan. 15, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 323,749

[52] US. Cl. 93/93 M, 83/660, 93/1 A, 93/93 HT [51] Int. Cl B3lb l/98 [58] Field of Search... 93/93 HT, 93 M, 93 R, 93 C,

93/93 DP, 1 A; 83/29, 660

Primary Examiner-Roy Lake Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan [57] ABSTRACT The bag-mounting process and apparatus of the inven-' tion are directed to a spearing of stacked paper bags onto a needle-like spike rammed through stacked lips thereof with the spike piercing the lips from the lips outer faces thereof near the lips upper peripheries after first compressing the stacked lips in the stacked state, employing solely a linear spike having a concentrically tapered point at its piercing end and a blunt opposite end against which a plunger is pressed to ram the spike from a spike-supporting barrel aligned perpendicularly to the point for piercing, and mounting tabs or other retaining members on the opposite endsof the spike for retaining the pierced-bags on the spike against bags tendency to slip-off during handling and shipping. Preferably the machine is pneumatically actuated and semi-automatic for at least part of the process, and is adjustable to receive bag-stacks of different widths of the bags thereof.

16 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures [451 Aug. 27, 1974 i PATENTED Z' v sum 10; 2

SPIKE-MOUNTING S TACKED-BAGS PROCESS AND APPARATUS This invention is directed to a spike bag-piercing and mounting process and apparatus in-part utilizable in the process, for shipping and thereafter utilizing the mounted-bag-stacks in the spike-mounted state.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a process and apparatus which other persons other than the inventors have unsuccessfully attempted to successfully achieve but currently the present inventors being the'sole successful ones and being the sole source of the mounted bag-stacks and the machine apparatus commercially practical in achieving the process of mounting the bag stacks in large enough numbers and at a rate to warrent commercial acceptance. In arriving at the inventors process and apparatus-machine, there were tried various shapes and designs of spikes and those other than that of the present invention proved ineffective for a variety of reasons. Some shapes and points could not be rammed through the lips of the bags without bending and/or without jamming the spike, while others defaced or destroyed the paper lips, while others, after mounting the bags lips tore-out bag sections when a bag was jerked loose and/or left residual paper on the spike which impared the removal of subsequent separate bags without tearing or defacing the bag. Bags with prepunched holes, in addition to requiring thereby additional expense of punching the holes, having a spike or bar threaded through the holes, resulted in paper tabs or slivers being unevenly and/or defacingly pulled from the paper lip of a bag when the bag was jerked from the mounting shaft. Moreover, the problem of successfully mounting a large number of bags on a single spike and also their one-by-one removal having constituted additional substantial problems. Moreover, the very act of attemption to neatly spear a spike through a large stack of flexible paper material and to thereafter be able to handle the mounted bags without further tearing or losing bags accidentally constituted a formidable problem and difficulty. Further, although practically any process can be mechanically accomplished if the equipment is involved and costly enough in its construction and/or operation, the present process and apparatus utilizable therein in order to be commercially feasible and practical, required inexpensive parts, construction, operation, manipulation, and maintenance.

Any one of the above-noted and discussed problems and difficulties constituted a major barrier while the combination compounded with difficulties in achieving success. I

SUMMARY OF Tl-IE INVENTION Objects of the present invention include the overcoming of one or more of the above-noted and discussed problems, together with other objects apparent from the preceding and following disclosure.

One or more objects of the invention are obtained by the invention as defined herein.

Broadly the invention is directed to a process, and secondly to an apparatus that may beadvantageously utilized to carry-out at least part of the steps of the process as practiced by an operator. Although possibly a fully automated automatic device may in the future be developed, thus far the need of a human being operator and worker is still existent, the worker being required to fully perform the process for the present machine apparatus.

In particular the process is typically practiced with the use of the apparatus as follows. For the practice of the process, a particularly-shaped large needle-like spike is required, having an elongated linear cylindrical or columnar shape with a blunted base and a tapered concentrically shaped pointed opposite end in'the nature of a cone,'tapered to a sharp point, and the step of piercing the paper with or without a machine must be coordinated with the nature of the typically-paper bags to be pierced, such that the point of piercing-and the seam of the bag must be off-set from the seam double-thickness of paper and, further in order that each bag of the stack may be pluckable from the mounted spike without tearing a hunk out of the paper lip-edge of otherwise marring the appearance and/or utility of the bags, the point of pierce must be substantially close .to the lip edge of the paper lip and the spike must pierce from the outer face of the bag toward an inner face of the bag such that the bag during the plucking thereof may slip the bag pierced-portion onto the tapered portion adjacent the spike point before tearingaway the bag. The bags, as inferred above, each must have an exposed lip, at its mount, on one flattened face of the bag. preferably with the seam either on the lipless face of the bag or if on the lip-face, with the seam off-set from the center of the lip and the pierce-point being at about a mid-point of the lips width. Before, during or after piercing, an anchor member such as a rubber ring is mounted on the blunted end of the spike, and after piercing, an anchor member is mounted 'onto the spike pointed end, such as a rubber tube similarly as a bag-retaining member.

, The apparatus utilized to facilitate this process includes a feed or support about horizontal plate preferably adjustable upwardly and downwardly in its height in order to accomodate different widths of stacks of bags, on which a stack of bags is positionedon the edges of the'bags with the open ends and lips of the stacks bags extending in a common lateral direction between opposing vise-mounted first and second about flat-faced pressure plates compressable of the lip-ends of the stack by vise-clamping movement of one or both of the opposing plates toward one-another. Preferably through an aperture in one of the plates of the vise, there is ramable therethrough the tapered pointed end of the spike toward and into the compressed stacked bags lips, after which piercing of the entire stack the ram and the perforated vise plate is withdrawn from around the base of the spike, leaving the spike suspended in the pierced stack. Typically thereafter the operator forces a rubber washer or paper tab or the like onto the blunted end, and preferably a rubber tubing on the pointed end, the tubing serving to avoid accidental injury to an operator or handler during shipping by the pointed end, by concealing the pointed end in the rubber tube. However, in a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the perforated vise plate includes a feed slot for feeding a washer into the path of a spike such that upon the ramming of the spike the spike becomes threaded through the rubber washer before the pointed end reaches the paper lip surface for the piercing thereof, such that the rubber washer becomes first mounted on the spike and does not have to be manually mounted after the piercing step. In a like manner, preferably the rubber tubing is intermittently fed axially alined with the path of approach of the pointed end of the spike such that after the piercing the spike automatically threads itself into the channel of the rubber tube which immediately thereafter is cut by a blade actuated by the approaching plate or alternately the approaching ram pressing a button switch which automatically activates a solenoid to close the cutting blade. The tubing is preferably fed by and through opposing rollers past the blade position to the spike-receiving position. Also preferably the compressing vise stack-compressing and ram (for the spike) movements are cylinder controlled by a pneumatic system and a simple lever which as it is moved forwardly consecutively activates different consecutive switches, and when moved in the reverse direction serves to withdraw the ram and then the compressor plate in the reverse sequence-order. However, the switches may be separately located and actuatable, such as one by a foot pedal and the other by a hand lever.

The invention may be better understood by reference to the following Figures which are intended solely to illustrate typical but preferred embodiments of features of the present inventive process and apparatus utilizable therein.

THE FIGURES FIG. 1 illustrates in frontal perspective view an apparatus of the present invention, in a preferred embodiment thereof.

FIG. 2A illustrates an in-part enlarged view of a portion taken in the broken lines identified as 2A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 28 illustrates a washer to be mounted on a needle-like spike.

FIG. 3 illustrates an in-part cross-sectional diagrammatic view of the ram, the apertured vise-pressure plate, the piercing spike, the compressed (shown spaced for better viewing) stacked bag-lips, the cutter blade, the fed tube, the tube-advancing mechanism, and their structural relationships to one another.

FIG. 4, for better understanding of the final utility of the mounted bags, illustrates in in-part side view a baginflating blower inflating the bag before its removal from the pointed end of the spike, the shielded or supported tip of the spike-pointed end, and their relationship to each other.

FIG. 5 illustrates an in-part view in elevation plan, of an unpierced bag top and lip thereof prior to thepiercing operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In greater detail, reference is made to all of the above-noted Figures, but particularly first to FIG. 1, in which support 6 includes through apertures 7 receivable of pegs 8 mountable within receptacles 9 in the vertically adjustable shelf 10 having paper aligning guide 11, which shelf 10 extends up to a lateral-slide channel 12 in which compressor plate 13 slides transversely across the end periphery of the shelf 10, to compress stacked bag lips between the face of the plate 13 and the fiat opposing face of support 6. The compressor plate 13 is slidable forwardly and retractably by the compressor shaft 14 by action of the pneumatic cylinder l5. Mounted on the shaft 14 is a slidably adjustable abutting brake element 16 with lock screw 17. Forward and reverse action of the pneumatic action of cylinder 15 is effected by air or other fluid or liquid by tubes 18 and 19 respectively, for example. In the compressor plate 13 located preferably adjacent a far edge thereof is a through passage 20 through which and from which a needle-like spike 21 is ejectable having a tapered point 22 symetrical all-around i.e., concentrically tapered to a point central of a cross-section of the spike 21. For feeding and directing the spike longitudinally through the passage 20 there is a cylinder 23 mounted in the back of and typically extending into the compressor plate 13, with the cylinder or tube 23 having a longitudinally extending slot 24 in an upper face of the tube 23 into which the needle-like spike 21 is inserted point-first into the smaller bore 26 of inserted preferably hard stainless steel tube 27 better viewable in FIG. 3, and up to the end of which the plunger concave end 25 is pressible of the blunt end 28 of the spike 21. The steel insert serves to center the spike as it is forcedforwardly, while also the concave face plunger end 25 also serves to center the spike blunt end 28 during the advancing of the spike through the bore 26 and opening passage 20. The plunger shaft 29 remains at all times inserted and slidable to and fro within the passage 30 of cylinder 23. When the shaft 14 is in the retracted position, it is typically not possible to feed a spike into the slot 24 even though the shaft 29 is retracted, but upon moving forward of the compressor plate 13 by ejection of shaft 14 from cylinder 15, while the shaft 29 remains stationary, the slotted cylindrical tube 23 moves forwardly with the advancing compressor plate 13 thereby the plunger end 25 moving to the rear of the slot 24 whereby a spike is thereafter receivable within the slot 24.

Mounted adjustably and lockably on shaft 29 is a washer 30 having lock screw 31 and mounted on the proximal end of the cylinder 23 is a button switch 32 with switch button 33 against which the washer 30 is pressable when the plunger 29 is fully ejected, whereby upon the button 33 being pressed the cutter blade selenoid 34 becomes actuated to close cutting blade 35 which is mounted on pivot axis 36 to thereby cut-off a section 37 of tube 38. The tube 38 is advance by the oppositely turning feed rollers 39a and 39b. The prefered sequence of the compression, spike insertion, etc. is in fact a first compression of the bags by activation of the extension mechanism of the cylinder 15, followed by insertion by the operator of a spike 21, followed by the advancing of the plunger 29. The motor 40 may be actuated about concurrently for a predetermined number of revolutions only at the compression stage i.e., movement forwardly of the compressor plate 13, or alternative about concurrently with the advancing of the plunger 29. By having the button switch 32 mounted and actuated as illustrated, the tube is held sturdily in an uncut state until the point 22 has threaded itself into the tube portion 37 upon the advancing of the spike as it is thrust forwardly longitudinally by the advancing plunger 29, but upon the needlelike point 22 reaching the fully tube-inserted state the washer 30 pressing against the button 33 to cause the blade 35 to cut the tube portion 37 from the tube 38, and upon then the withdrawal of the compressor plate 13, the spike is left suspended in the pierced stack of bags lips, with the point 22 safely encased within tube cut portion 37. In a still further preferred embodiment, to avoid requiring the operator having to thereafter thread a washer or the like onto the blunt end 28, there is provided a further cavity of enlarged cross-section adjacent opening identified as space 39 having a top through-channel 40 communicating therewith such that a rubber washer or cardboard tab of the like may be dropped thereinto or inserted therein whereby upon the advancing of the point 22 as the plunger 29 is advanced the point 22 pierces the cardboard or threads its way through the annular washer passage such that the washer becomes mounted on the spike before the spike pierces the stacked lips, to thereby prevent any tendency for the pierced bags to slip off the blunt end 28. V t

The cylinder 41 is pneumatically controlled by fliud in tubes 42 and 43 respectively for advancingand retracting the plunger 29; Typically, pneumatic pump and motor 44 provides the fluid pressure as controlled by two separate flip switches 45 and 46 as flipped upon advancing and retracting of the arm of pivot lever 47. Typically, as best seen in FIG. 1, when lever 47 is at the R retract position, both the plunger and the compressor are retracted, but as the lever 47 is pivotably advanced from right to left as shown, the lever 47 first flips switch arm 46 from right to left to actuate extending motion of the compressor shaft 14 and simultaneously to switch an electrical contact which closes a circuit furnishing thereby electricity to the motor 40 which is of a type that upon actuation of the motor solely a predetermined number of revolutions occur before stopping until a subsequent breaking and reestablishing of electrical contact; as the arm 47 continues to move leftward, it engages and switches leftward the switch arm 45 to activate pneumatically cylinder 41 to eject the plunger shaft 29. Upon the'movement of the lever to the C" position, the compression of the stacked bags lips takes place, and upon that compression, the operator inserts the spike before advancing the lever to the P" piercing position in which the plunger advances the spike'to pierce the bags lips.

Accordingly, the enlarged section of FIG. 2B and the illustrated rubber washer of FIG. 2A and the crosssectional view of FIG. 3 better illustrate the relationships pointed out above. With particular regard to FIGS. 3 and 4, however, note that the advancing spike 21 pierces the bag lips from the outside (backside) of the lips to establish the relationship shown in FIG. 4, the FIG. 4 showing the typical mounted state when the mounted spike is set for inflation of the top bag 47 before sliding it upwardly or outwardly to point 22 adjacent mounting structure (for mounting the point slightly) 48 prior to jerking the bag from the point 22 by ripping it from the point, the pointed narrow portion serving to slit the narrow paper lip edge 48. it is noteworthy, for the person not familiar with this art, to note that the FIG. 4 relationship, including the position of the blower jet 49, are necessary positions and relationships as established by experience in order to be a working commercial practicality.

It is within the spirit and scope of the present invention to make such variations, changes, and substitutions of equivalents as might be desired, the above disclosure and illustrations being merely intended to best illustrate a typical and preferred operation andapparatus employable in the performance of the process. Note for example, that it is a simple matter to include a feed funnel or washer stackable tube standing erectly into the slot 40 whereby the washers are fed automatically each time a needle is removedtherefrom. Note also, how

ever, that the tube feeder and cutting mechanism as well as the washer-feeding slot constitute merely preferred embodiments not necessarily a part of a less deluxe model.

We claim:

1. A bag spike-piercing process comprising in combination: employing a flattened bag having one flattened face at an open end of the bag, an exposed lip of the bag extending length-wise of the bag beyond an opposite shorter flattened face of the bag, the bag having a seam extending lengthwise of the bag with the seam being disposed at a predetermined position removed from a central portion of the bag-lip; securing a plurality of said bags in a stack in face-to-face relationship with their open ends commonly pointed in the same direction, with about flushly aligned ends and edges and said securing including pressing a substantially flat support surface against one of the aligned edges of the stack of bags and said securing including positioning two opposing first and second vise-clampable surfaces spaced apart in juxtaposition to opposite two respectively exposed bag faces of the stack; bringing together said first and second surfaces in a stack-compressing relationship; employing a portable substantially straight elongated spike element having a blunted base end. and a sharp tapered concentrically pointed top end, with the blunted end spaced away from the sharp tapered top end in juxtaposition to an outside-of-bag surface face of said lip of an outer-located bag of said stack with the spike element positioned at about a right angle to the bag surface of said compressed stack; thereafter forcing said sharp tapered top end to pierce consecutively stacked lips of said stack at pierce-points respectively located for each bag lip at a location removed from said seam such that the pierced stacked lips become-mounted on said spike element, and retaining the pierced stacked lips in a mounted state on said spike element portably.

2. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 1, said pointed top end being positioned to pierce each lip of said stack at a predetermined small distance spaced from an upper lip edge of each respective bag, said employed spike being substantially columnar in shape.

3. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 2, including mounting a first lock element on said blunted end, and after said piercing thereafter mounting a pointconcealing second lock element on said pointed top end.

4. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 3, in which said second element is a rubber tube, and in which said tube has an open end and the mounting thereof comprises threading said pointed top end into an open end of the tube.

5. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 4, including automatically feeding said tube axially toward said pointed top end in a concentric coaxial alignment with the pointed top end and thereafter automatically cutting-off said fed tube.

6. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 5, including aligning said first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before said forcing of the spike element such that the first element becomes mounted on said spike element during said forcing and before the spike element pierces said stack.

7. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 6, in which said first element is an annular elastic washer.

8. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 1, including aligning a first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before said forcing of the spike element such that the first element becomes mounted on said spike element during said forcing and before the spike element pierces said stack.

9. A spike bag-mounting device, comprising in combination: for mounting a stack of flattened bags by piercing the bags lips with a spike means for transporting thereon, a substantially straight portable spike means having a blunted base end and a sharp tapered concentrically pointed top end, with the blunt end being spaceable away from and the sharp tapered top end being positionable in juxtaposition to an outsideof-bag surface of a bag-lip of an outer-located bag of a stack of flattened bags and positionable with the portable spike element at about a right angle to the outsideof-bag surface of a bag-lip of an outer-located bag having one flattened face at an open end of the bag, and exposed lip of the bag extending length-wise of the bag beyond an opposite shorter flattened face of the bag, the bag having a seam extending lengthwise of the bag with the seam being disposed at a predetermined position removed from a central portion of the bag-lip, with the bags ends and edges being about flushly aligned with one-another of the stack of the bags; employing a securing means including a substantially flat support surface and two opposing first and second viseclampable surfaces, said securing means being structure for securing the stack of bags in the flushly aligned flattened state with the bags in a stacked face-to-face relationship with their open ends commonly pointed in a common direction, said substantially flat support surface being pressable against one of the aligned edges of the stack of bags and said two opposing first and second vise-clampable surfaces being positionable spaced apart in juxtaposition to opposite two respectively exposed bag faces of the stack, and said securing means being further for bringing together said first and second surfaces in a stack-compressing relationship; and piercing means for forcing said sharp tapered top end to pierce consecutively stacked lips of the stacked lips at pierce-points respectively located for each bag lip at a location removed from said seam such that the pierced stacked lips become mounted on said spike element, and for retaining the pierced stacked lips in a mounted state on said spike elements transportably thereon.

10. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 9, in which said piercing means is positioned such that said pointed top end will pierce each lip of said stack of bags at a predetermined distance spaced from an upper lip edge of each respective bag.

11. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 10, including first and second lock elements mountable on each respectively of said blunted end and said pointed top end.

12. A spike bag-mounting device of claim ll, in which said second element is a rubber tube and in which said tube has an open end threadable of said pointed top end.

13. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 12, including tube feeding and cutting means for automatically feeding said tube axially toward said pointed top end in a concentric coaxial alignment with the pointed top end and for thereafter automatically cutting-off said fed tube.

14. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 13, including first-element aligning means for aligning said first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before the spike means is forced through the bags lips such that the first element is mountable on said spike means during a forcing of the spike means through the bags lips before the spike means pierces the bags lips of the stack.

15. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 14, in which said first element is an annular elastic washer.

16. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 9, including first element aligning means for aligning a first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before the spike means is forced through the bags lips such that the first element is mountable on said spike means during a forcing of the spike means through the bags lips before the spike means pierces the bags lips of the August 27, 1974 Patent No. 3 8319504 I Dated William P. Daly et a1 Inventor (s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet insert I73] Assig ees Beacon Converters, Inc,, Saddle Brook, N'. J

Signed and sealed this 19th, day of November 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

I-icCOY M. GIBSON. JR, c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer 7. Commissioner of Patents Form Po-wso (10-69) I I uscow-Dc mus 

1. A bag spike-piercing process comprising in combination: employing a flattened bag having one flattened face at an open end of the bag, an exposed lip of the bag extending length-wise of the bag beyond an opposite shorter flattened face of the bag, the bag having a seam extending lengthwise of the bag with the seam being disposed at a predetermined position removed from a central portion of the bag-lip; securing a plurality of said bags in a stack in face-to-face relationship with their open ends commonly pointed in the same direction, with about flushly aligned ends and edges and said securing including pressing a substantially flat support surface against one of the aligned edges of the stack of bags and said securing including positioning two opposing first and second vise-clampable surfaces spaced apart in juxtaposition to opposite two respectively exposed bag faces of the stack; bringing together said first and second surfaces in a stack-compressing relationship; employing a portable substantially straight elongated spike element having a blunted base end and a sharp tapered concentrically pointed top end, with the blunted end spaced away from the sharp tapered top end in juxtaposition to an outside-of-bag surface face of said lip of an outer-located bag of said stack with the spike element positioned at about a right angle to the bag surface of said compressed stack; thereafter forcing said sharp tapered top end to pierce consecutively stacked lips of said stack at piercepoints respectively located for each bag lip at a location removed from said seam such that the pierced stacked lips become mounted on said spike element, and retaining the pierced stacked lips in a mounted state on said spike element portably.
 2. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 1, said pointed top end being positioned to pierce each lip of said stack at a predetermined small distance spaced from an upper lip edge of each respective bag, said employed spike being substantially columnar in shape.
 3. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 2, including mounting a first lock element on said blunted end, and after said piercing thereafter mounting a point-concealing second lock element on said pointed top end.
 4. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 3, in which said second element is a rubber tube, and in which said tube has an open end and the mounting thereof comprises threading said pointed top end into an open end of the tube.
 5. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 4, including automatically feeding said tube axially toward said pointed top end in a concentric coaxial alignment with the pointed top end and thereafter automatically cutting-off said fed tube.
 6. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 5, including aligning said first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before said forcing of the spike element such that the first element becomes mounted on said spike element during said forcing and before the spike element pierces said stack.
 7. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 6, in which said first element is an annular elastic washer.
 8. A bag spike-piercing process of claim 1, including aligning a first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before said forcing of the spike element such that the first element becomes mounted on said spike element during said forcing and before the spike element pierces said stack.
 9. A spike bag-mounting device, comprising in combination: for mounting a stack of flattened bags by piercing the bags lips with a spike means for transporting thereon, a substantially straight portable spike means having a blunted base end and a sharp tapered concentrically pointed top end, with the blunt end being spaceable away from and the sharp tapered top end being positionable in juxtaposition to an outside-of-bag surface of a bag-lip of an outer-located bag of a stack of flattened bags and positionable with the portable spike element at about a right angle to the outside-of-bag surface of a bag-lip of an outer-located bag having one flattened face at an open end of the bag, and exposed lip of the bag extending length-wise of the bag beyond an opposite shorter flattened face of the bag, the bag having a seam extending lengthwise of the bag with the seam being disposed at a predetermined position removed from a central portion of the bag-lip, with the bags ends and edges being about flushly aligned with one-another of the stack of the bags; employing a securing means including a substantially flat support surface and two opposing first and second vise-clampable surfaces, said securing means being structure for securing the stack of bags in the flushly aligned flattened state with the bags in a stacked face-to-face relationship with their open ends commonly pointed in a common direction, said substantially flat support surface being pressable against one of the aligned edges of the stack of bags and said two opposing first Pg,15 and second vise-clampable surfaces being positionable spaced apart in juxtaposition to opposite two respectively exposed bag faces of the stack, and said securing means being further for bringing together said first and second surfaces in a stack-compressing relationship; and piercing means for forcing said sharp tapered top end to pierce consecutively stacked lips of the stacked lips at pierce-points respectively located for each bag lip at a location removed from said seam such that the pierced stacked lips become mounted on said spike element, and for retaining the pierced stacked lips in a mounted state on said spike elements transportably thereon.
 10. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 9, in which said piercing means is positioned such that said pointed top end will pierce each lip of said stack of bags at a predetermined distance spaced from an upper lip edge of each respective bag.
 11. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 10, including first and second lock elements mountable on each respectively of said blunted end and said pointed top end.
 12. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 11, in which said second element is a rubber tube and in which said tube has an open end threadable of said pointed top end.
 13. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 12, including tube feeding and cutting means for automatically feeding said tube axially toward said pointed top end in a concentric coaxial alignment with the pointed top end and for thereafter automatically cutting-off said fed tube.
 14. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 13, including first-element aligning means for aligning said first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before the spike means is forced through the bags lips such that the first element is mountable on said spike means during a forcing of the spike means through the bags lips before the spike means pierces the bags lips of the stack.
 15. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 14, in which said first element is an annular elastic washer.
 16. A spike bag-mounting device of claim 9, including first element aligning means for aligning a first element in a transverse plane to said pointed top end and between the stack and said pointed top end before the spike means is forced through the bags lips such that the first element is mountable on said spike means during a forcing of the spike means through the bags lips before the spike means pierces the bags lips of the stack. 